The use of thermoformed blister packages for packaging surgical and endoscopic surgical ("endosurgical") instruments is well-known in the art. The thermoformed blister packages typically have a plurality of cavities formed therein for receiving and retaining a particular surgical instrument. The cavities are typically designed to conform to each section of the surgical instrument; for example, in the case of a trocar, a large proximal cavity will receive the handle while a long distal cylindrical cavity will receive the trocar cannula tube and obturator. It is known that endosurgical instruments such as trocars typically have long shafts, which enable the surgeons to access a patient's body cavity. In order to retain the instrument in the thermoformed blister package and prevent it from moving during shipping, handling, storage, sterilization and the like, it is known to include undercuts in the blister tray. These undercuts are projections that extend over the top of the opening of a cavity in which all or part of an instrument is contained. The gap between the undercuts is typically less than the width of the opening of the cavity thereby serving to assist in preventing an instrument or part thereof from being released from the cavity.
Although the use of undercuts is effective in retaining an instrument in a cavity of a blister formed tray, there are also disadvantages associated with the use of undercuts. In particular, at the point of use in the operating room, it may be difficult for a scrub nurse to remove an instrument from a cavity of a blister package having undercuts in order place it in the sterile operating field. In order to remove an instrument from a cavity having undercuts, it is typically necessary to grasp the instrument with one hand while holding the package with the other hand. An upward force applied by the scrub nurse to the instrument causes the undercuts to rotate in opposite directions about the cavity, thereby having the effect of widening the gap between the uppercuts and allowing the instrument to be withdrawn from the cavity. The requirement of having to grasp the instrument for removal from a blister package is disadvantageous because it may compromise the sterility of the instrument and/or the sterile field of the operating room. Other disadvantages of existing packages include difficulty in removing an instrument efficiently and quickly from a blister package having cavities with undercuts and the need for additional packaging components required to retain the instrument in the package when undercuts are not used. It is also known that blister packages may not have efficient storage configurations, first of all, because of the rigid materials used that will not conform about the product exterior and, secondly, because allowances must be made for high profile areas of the product in the package and hand hold areas to hold the package when dispensing the instrument. This often represents a problem since hospital storage areas typically have limited storage space available.
Therefore, what is needed in this art is a package for an endoscopic instrument having a thermoformed blister tray with cavities having undercuts, which has a quick-release feature wherein it is not necessary to grasp the instrument to release it from the package, thereby possibly eliminating the need for a scrub nurse to be present to remove a sterile instrument and place the instrument into the sterile field during the initial set-up for a sterile procedure.